Excavating mechanism.



H. H. HARRIS.

E'XCAVAHNG'MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. :5. 19m.

Patented Dec. 31, 1918.

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Pat ented Dec. 31, 1918.

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Mam/an Xfa/J mwma i J i nf S PA HOLLIS H. HARRIS, or LORAIN, OHIO,ASSIGNOR 'ro THE anew AUTOMATIC srr'ovEL COMPANY, or 1.03am, 01:10,aconrona'rron or omo.-

EXCAVATING- MECHANISM. i

Specification of Lettersiatbnt. f, P te t 99, 31, 191

Application filed February 15, 1918. Serial N6. 217,442.

To all whom it may concern: I

Be it known that I, HOLLIS H. HARRIS, a

citizen of the United States, residing at Lorain, in the county f Lorainand State of Ohio, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement inExcavating Mechanism, of which the following is a full, clear, and exactdescription, reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to power shovels or other excavating mechanismadapted to be propelled and provided with a supporting truck with asuperstructure adapted to swing thereon. The object of the invention isto provide efiicient means for steering the machine. 'This isaccomplished by swiveling one of the axles at its center, and swingingthe axle either automatically, consequent upon the swinging of thesuperstructure, or by hand independently of such swinging. The inventionis hereinafter more fully described and the advantages of the mechanismillustrated explained, and the essential I superstructure; Fig. 4 is aside elevation and Fig. 5 a plan of that portion of the automaticsteering mechanism which is adapted t be connected with the outer end ofthe swiveled axle. The remaining figures illustrate the hand steeringmechanism, Fig. 6 being a detached plan thereof, Fig. 7 a detailillustrating the connection of the link with the bell-crank, Fig. 8 alongitudinal section through the clevis Connected with the bell crank,and Fig; 9.an enlarged longitudinal cross section through the frame ofthe truck.

As shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3, 10 designates the body of a truck, 11wheels journaled on stationary axles carried by the truck, 12 an axleswiveled at its center (16) t0 the truck and 13 wheels on the swiveledaxle. ignates a superstructure having a platform swiveled at 21 to thetruck and adapted to carry suitable excavating mechanism, as a boom,cables, etc. .hese latter parts are not shown, eigcept that Fig.1illustrates at 23 20 desthe pivotal anchorage for the lower end of theboom; i,-

The truckis" shown as provided with a stationary horizontal gear 15vconcentric. of the axis 21. With this gear meshes a pinion 25 carried on.a vertical shaft depending from the platform. and, adapted to berotated by suitable mechanism (not shown) which may be carried bythe,platform. The rotation of the. pinion 25 will swing the entiresuperstructure aboutthe axis 21 one wayor the others. accordingtgthe,direction of rotation. re

To enable the swinging of the superstructure to swing the swiveled axle12 to steerthe machine, I provide a link mechanism connecting thesuperstructure platform with the. end'of the. swiveled axle. This willnow be described.

The swiveled axle extends beyond the outer face of one of the wheels 13.Journaled on it at this point is a block 30, shown as retained in placeby a washer 31 held by a cap-screw 32 screwing into. the end of theaxle. A link 40 is pivoted to this block on a vertical axis. As shownmost clearly in Figs. 1 and 4, this link is bifurcated near its end andhas its two arms 41 and 42 extending respectively above and below theblock 30. A suitable pin, 45 extends through the arms 41 and 42 and theintermediate block30, whereby the link is pivotally connected to theaxle on a vertical pivot. This together with ,the horizontal journalingof the block-30 or'r the swiveled axle makes a "universal joint betweenthe link and axle.

At its ther end the link 40 universally jointed to the platform. Toeffect this, I provide a bracket 50 secured to one of the sills 27 ofthe platform. This bracket has a vertical ear orweb portion 51 in whichis swiveled on a horizontalv axis a clevis 52 which is pivoted on avertical axis to the link 40.. The clevis is a ,U-shaped memberextending above and below the link 40 and pi\ oted to it by a verticalpin 54 extending through the arms of the clevis and-an eye v4 Withsuch'aijconstruction-asidesci'ibed,the.

axle Sh f he wheels 113* relative to" th is nearer the'longitu'dinalcenter of the truck than the outer side of the wheel 13. A0-

from its lower-endapproximately equalto the radiuspffthe' wheel, thepoint of -benddicat'ed at 48. This enables the ing being in forkedportion of the linkto normally lie. parallel withthe outer *face of thewheel -and comparatively close to it while the uppe'r'end is closer tothe truck frame, as

shown clearly in Fig. 2.-

the axis The link is f such length and its driv ing' end so located"that the link swings away from the wheel 13, for either direction theplatform, so" that there of swinging of I can. bend binding on thewheel. i This 1s illustrated in Fig. 3, wherethe normal position of thesteeredjwheel, the link its driving 'pivotfis shown by thebroken -'l1nesv 13, 40 and 54. I The platform swings about 21 and the swijveledaxle'about the axis 16. Nowfif the -platform'be turned .t'oward-the sldewhere. the link is located I the pivot pin 54- swings'in' thearcAlioncentric ofthe axis 21- into. the position shown at 54 in fulllinesin Fig.3. This 'lower end of it to swing in necessarily displacesthe link '40- longitudinally, causingthe "universally con'nect'ed center16, In suchswinging the outward travel 'ofthe pivot 5-]: is'more thanthe outward travel ofthe.- .corner of the wheel13, with the 'result thatthe portion l8 of the link adjacent .to the wheel corner'swings slightlyaway from the wheel. The slight V divergence, shown in Fig. 3, isincreased I so as the. platform swings farther in that direction.

' Now, if the platform should swing-in the? opposite direction fromthe-normal position shown in '2,'the' corner of the wheel '13- swingsinwardly faster .tlian the head end of the link 40 is swung along thearc so: that the' cornenof the wheel travels rla tively away from thelink 40. This; is.illustrated by broken lines in Fig. 3 where the ivotpin 5* is shown positioned at 5%", the wheel 13in the position 13", andthe link 40 in the position 40".v It will accordingly be 'seen'thatwhichever way the superstructure swings the link 40 clears the wheel 13.

In the ordinary use of the shovel it IS desired tohave the truck standstationary or be propelled in a straight line and the superstructureswingfreely on its axis. This is I allowed by disconnecting the link 40from the swiveled axle. The disconnection is easily effected bywithdrawing the pin 45,

cording'ly, the lin'k l0 is'bent at'a. distance an' are about the" IEIGBHI g the bifurcated end of the from the block 30.

To co'nvenientlysupport the link 40 when it is disconnected from theswiveled axle, I provide a'hook 6O securedato the superstructure frameandfacing outwardly, as shown in Figs. land 2, the'support for thehook'beingfomitfed' in Fig.2. When the link is disconnected it may hesimply raised. anch'swung ihward :and deposited in the loop of'the hook60; The pivot pin 45 is ordinarilyreplaced in the forks41 and 42 as soonas removed from the blockand the link then swung up and supported by thehook, where it may be carried indefinitely out of the way.

To enable the swiveled axle to be turned wheneverdesired by handindependently of the superstructure, I provide a very simple. andeffective mechanism, which may be connected whenever desired, and whichis illustr atedin ,Figs, 1, 2 and 6 to 9 inclusive.

. This .incchanisln consists of 'ascrew 70, threaded In a nut 71swiveled to the truck frame; a clevis'72 in which the inner end .of' the'shaft of the screw is rotatably' mounted; a'bell-crank 73 connected tothe clevis and pivoted to the frame at 74 'and having an-arm 75, and amovable link 76 adapted toconnect the arm-7 5 with an eye 77 .secured tothe swiveled axle 12.

With such a structure as just described the rotation of the screw 70 (asfor instance by a' hand crank '80 removably connected to the squared,end of the screw), will result inthe swinging of the crank-bell one wayor the other and the pulling or pushing on the link 76, to swing theswiveled axle accordingly;

The attachment of the nut 71 and bell-' crank 73 to the truck framewill, of course, vary with different forms of frame. I have shown aframe inwhich there are longi tudinal I-beams 17 and transverseI-bearns,

of which two are shown at 18 and 19. It is convenient'to swivel the nut71 to zone of the lower flanges of the I-be'am 18 as indi cated at 82-in Figs. 1 and .9. Similarly the pivot of the. bell-crank may beconnected to one of the lower flanges of the transverse I- beams '19.Thus Fig. 9 shows the stud 74, forming'the journal for the bell-crank,extending through a lower flange of the I- bea'in 19.

To prevent the hand steering device from interfering with-the automaticsteering, I make the link 76 readily 'disconnectible. This link ispreferably. a horizontal bar having down-turned ends 78 and 79, Fig. 1.The down-turned end 7 8 extends through the eye-in the outer end of thebell-crank arm 75. To enable the link 76 to be conveniently hooked intothe arm, I form a groove 85 extending across the upper face of the arm,and I locate the hole 86, which the point 79 is intended to occupy, atthe mid point at 1.30

Leeeaee this groove. Now, in putting," the link in place, the end 78 isreadily hooked into the eye 77 and the end 79 brought approximately intoits engaging position. if, now,

the bell crank is approximately in position for entrance of the hook,the point 79 may be readily placed in the groove 85 by feeling. Then thebell crank is swung one direction or the other to bring the hole 86 intoregistration with the point 79 and the link will drop intoplace. Thisenabled the link to be placed without visual observation, which isconsiderably advantageous, owing to the position of the mechanism.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is:

1. The combination of a truck having a swiveled axle, a superstructureswiveled on the truck, and a link, one end of which is pivotally mountedon the superstructure approximately at the side of the swivel and theother end pivotally mounted on the swiveled axle.

2. The combination of a truck having a swiveled axle, a platformswiveled to the truck, a link connected at one end by a universal jointto a part rigid with the plat form and at the other end by a. universaljoint with the swiveled axle. J

3. The combination of a truck having a swiveled axle, a superstructureswiveled to the truck, a link connected at one end to the outer end ofthe swiveled axle beyond the wheel, and means pivotally connecting theother end of the link tothe superstructurc.

4. The combination or" a truck having a swivelcd axle with wheelsthereon, a platform swiveled to the truck on a vertical axis,- a bracketat one side of the platform, a link pivoted at one end to the bracketand extending on the outer side of the wheel and pivotally connectedwith the axle.

The combination of a truck having a swivcled axle with wheels on it, aplatform swiveled to the truck on a vertical axis, a. bracket carried bythe platform, a clevis swiveled to the bracket, a link pivoted to theclevis, a block mounted on the axle outside &

of the wheel, and a pivotal connection between said block and theadjacent end of the link.

6. The combination of a truck having a swiveled axle carrying wheels. aplatform swiveled to the truck, a link connected to the platform, saidlink being provided with a fork on the outer side of one of the wheelsmentioned, a block mounted on the swiveled axle beyond the wheel, saidfork extending onto the .upper and. lower faces of the block, and aremovable pin pivotally connecting the fork to the block.

7. The combination of a truck having a swiveled axle carrying wheels, aplatform mounted on the truck to turn on a vertical axis, a linkuniversally connected at one end with the platform, disconnectible meansconnecting the other end of the link with the swiveled axle, and meanscarried by the platform for supporting thelink when discon nected.

8. The combination of a truck havinga swiveled axle carrying wheels, 2.platform mounted on the truck to turn'on a vertical axis, a link movablyconnected at one end with the platform. disconnectible means connectingthe other end oi the link with the swiveled axle, and a hook carried bythe platform and adapted to receive and support the link adjacent to itsfree end when the link is swung up into approximate parallelism with theplatform.

9. The combination of a truck having a swivelcd axle carrying wheels, aplatform mounted on the truck to turn on a vertical axis, a link movablyconnected at one end with the platform and bifurcated at the other, ablock on the swiveled axle adapted to be engaged by such fork, aremovable pin connecting the fork with the block, and a hook carried bythe platform and adapted to receive and support'the link adjacent to its1 forked end when the link is swung up into approximate parallelism withthe platfornn\ In testimony whereof, I hereunto aiiix my signature.

HOLLIS n. interns:

